Misleading 1star reviews & the suspension of a listing

Misleading 1star reviews & the suspension of a listing

Hi guys...first time on here and hopefully my post will identify a common issue. I have a listing which I am very proud of and indeed reached Super Host not that long ago (not that it's been worth a **bleep**). I've recently been suspended due to two 1 star ratings and despite my protestations I've been told repeatedly that due to company policy there's no way I can have a rating removed unless it qualifies for a small number of unlikely situations. Have a look at my 'conversation' with  staff and let me know what you think...

 

Currently I'm waiting on a reply from A i r b n b..... 
 
Anyone considering using this post should be prepared for consistent interruption with spellings. names, certain usage of words. It should be noted that A i r b n b itself cannot be typed unless spaced..... I wonder why???? Anyway. I'm feeling fortunate that my invalid HTML has been removed - thanks A i r b n b !  By the way, the naughty word bleeped out in disgrace was d a m n.....
 
H N Y  A i r b n b  xx
3 Replies 3

My goodness....it's mind-boggling to see that some conversation has been blocked out in response to my questions. Fortunately I was able to save and will re-type folks.....

Just as a point of thought.....A i r b n b have repeatedly stated that potentially malicious reviews cannot be removed from our listings ....HOW EASY has it been for 'the team' to remove 'uncomfortable' questions above?

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Mark1511 I'm really sorry this happened to you and yes, it's absurdly outrageous that some princess guest can maliciously tank your rating and lead you to be suspended. 

One thing I can tell you, though. Those messages that you posted that you are sending to CS will get you nowhere. You are being far too wordy- that's not the way to get any appropriate response from CS, based on my experience. Statements like "during my suspension I'LL make the decision whether I want to continue with your flawed rules and targets." and " A i r b n b need to look at their policies immediately - am I the only host to make this complaint? No, I don't think so....." are pointless to direct at CS- they are just lowly employees tasked with answering messages and phone calls- they don't make policy and those who research such things can tell you that CS staff has a high level of dissatisfaction with how they are treated by management- in other words, Airbnb doesn't do right by them anymore than they do right by hosts.

When communicating with CS about an issue, here are some tips-

State your issue as briefly and simply as possible. Don't write in paragraphs- use bullet point form in chronological order of what happened.

Be polite- they have angry hosts and guests yelling at them all day- as I said, they don't make policy, are poorly trained- bad Airbnb policy isn't their fault. Thank them for their time and responses, even if it isn't the response you wanted.

State clearly what outcome you are requesting. 

 

I know it's very hard to remain patient and civil when dealing with some of these awful and unfair policies, but if your goal is to get help and hopefully reverse the original decision, there are tricks to doing so. Patience, persistence and politeness, as well as not addressing CS staff as if they were the corporate decision makers seem to get the best results.